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Chapter Eleven
Millie made her way down the driveway towards Zach’s home clutching a bottle of Tim’s best Claret that Claudia had pressed on her with a knowing smile. Her Wellington boots were two sizes too big for her and looked ridiculous paired with her scarlet Karen Millen dress and the long gold necklace that Claudia had urged her to wear. She had always been a sun worshipper – her wardrobe was stuffed to bursting with spaghetti-strapped tops, denim shorts and Capri trousers, sparkly flip-flops and brightly coloured sarongs. She had never owned a pair of boots in her life, but perhaps now was the time to rectify that.
Something else she had to work on changing.
Nerves tingled at her fingertips and not only because she intended to confront Zach about keeping the fact that Kate was his mother a secret. Her chat with Claudia in the kitchen earlier had made her realise beyond doubt that her feelings for Zach had moved on well past the friendship stage. Also, from her past experiences of spending time with Zach in the Caribbean, she wouldn’t be surprised if she found him waiting on the doorstep ready to whisk her away for a night out at the greyhound track, or a climbing wall, or a choir recital at the cathedral.
But wasn’t that exactly what she loved about him? That he continually challenged her to live life outside her comfort zone? That she should grab every opportunity to experience new and exciting things?
A maelstrom of emotions churned in her chest; excitement, nerves, anticipation, but also in the mix were sadness and regret that now she had met someone she would love to spend more time with, he was more than likely to be about to leave the country – par for the course as far as her love life was concerned.
A covering of snow lingered, but there had been no fresh falls and she could still see the mound of white where she had built her replica of Binks. She looked around to see if she could spot Zach’s artistic contribution to Snow Sculpture of the Year but couldn’t see over the wall into his back garden. She knocked on the door of the lodge and her spirits soared when she heard a bark of welcome.
‘Hi Millie, come on in. Loving those boots – they really suit you.’
‘Thanks,’ she smiled, striking a supermodel’s pose to showcase her footwear covered in pink daisies. She bent down to pull them off and almost laughed out loud when Zach whisked them away and hid them in the closet under the stairs.
‘Come on, come through to the kitchen.’
As Zach led her down the corridor, she inhaled the delicious aroma of garlic and Italian herbs mingled with what she suspected was probably a generous soupcon of bleach. She wasn’t the least bit surprised when she entered the brightly lit kitchen to see it was immaculately tidy. Every bench had been cleared of culinary paraphernalia and a glossy white table had been set with matching crockery and beautifully ironed linen. She glanced around the open-plan room into the lounge area and for a moment wondered what was bothering her until she realised that there wasn’t a single Christmas decoration in sight.
Millie was about to comment on the absence of a tree, but of course she knew what Zach’s answer would be – clutter! So, instead, she handed over her bottle of wine, pleased to see his eyes light up with appreciation.
‘Grab a seat while I open this. Dinner’s almost ready.’
‘Actually,’ said Millie, keen to deal with the elephant in the room so that its presence wouldn’t interfere with her digestion. ‘I want to ask you why you didn’t mention the fact that Kate was your mother when we were at the café yesterday. You should have let me apologise to her for the comments I made about her cuisine.’
Zach laughed. ‘I’m sorry, Millie. I could have said something, but I can assure you that she didn’t hear what you said, so what was the point of alerting her to the fact? And we were having such an enjoyable afternoon I didn’t want to spoil the mood if I didn’t have to and I knew you would be mortified unnecessarily. But you’re absolutely right to be indignant. I’ll make it up to you by introducing you formally if you like?’
‘Oh, well, yes, okay,’ spluttered Millie, not entirely sure she was ready to be “formally” presented to Kate, although she did wonder how he would label her when he did – random stranger, acquaintance, friend, inadvertent comedy performer… girlfriend?
She sipped her wine whilst she watched Zach empty the spaghetti into a colander and divide the pasta into two bowls before adding a generous helping of Bolognese sauce and a sprinkle of freshly grated parmesan, all finished off with a flourish of fresh basil leaves from a pot on the kitchen windowsill.
‘Thank you, Zach, this looks amazing.’
‘Dig in.’
Millie was about to do just that until she saw that Zach hadn’t joined her at the table but returned to the sink to rinse the pans and the colander, dry them, and return them to their rightful place in the cupboards before spraying the units with antibacterial cleanser. He smiled when he slid into the chair opposite her and raised his glass in a toast.
‘To Stonelea!’
She copied his action and then inhaled her meal, complete with top-note of chlorine which reminded her of Kate’s Kitchen. She now understood where Zach had acquired his fastidiousness for hygiene. However, unlike her initial thoughts on Kate’s culinary prowess, Zach’s cooking talents were exemplary, and she finished every last morsel.
She recalled the last time Zach had made her a spaghetti Bolognese when they’d been at Claudia’s villa overlooking the bay at Soufrière on the south coast of St Lucia. It had been three weeks filled with sunshine and palm trees and friendship and new discoveries. Despite the many challenges she faced setting up the Paradise Cookery School, she had savoured every moment of the sun-filled bliss they had enjoyed together, and she wished she could teleport back there at the press of a button. The constant warmth, not only of the temperature and the infinity pool, but of the people she had met there, had made her trip to the Caribbean one of the best experiences of her life. However, she knew the overriding reason she had labelled her time there with that accolade was down to the man watching her from behind those deliciously seductive eyes, framed in the most luscious eyelashes she had seen on a man.
How she craved the chance to rekindle her friendships with Ella and her son Henri, and with Lottie and Dylan who worked at the local bar, the Purple Parrot. She even missed her daily contact with Fitz, Alph and Vic, the builders Claudia had engaged to renovate the villa’s kitchen ready for their very first Paradise Cookery School guests. She had delighted in their unquestioning support of her abilities, and their encouragement that she could do anything she put her mind to, but it had been Zach’s friendship that had papered over the cracks in her heart and painted the fresh canvas with a rainbow of vibrant colours to make her life sparkle again.
‘Thanks for cooking dinner, Zach. Obviously, I love being in the kitchen, but sometimes it’s really nice to be treated to a meal someone else has made, and that was delicious – as you can see from my plate!’
‘Didn’t Luke cook for you? I thought he was a chef, too?’
Millie shot a glance at Zach, taken by surprise at his mention of Luke, but gratified that she experienced no accompanying awkwardness or reluctance to share her history.
‘Actually, he didn’t. Funnily enough he used to live on toast and bacon sandwiches. Don’t get me wrong, he enjoyed being a chef, put his heart and soul into it, but he never had that all-encompassing passion that simmers away every hour of ever day like I do, like Claudia does, and Ella does. The alchemy of food is more than a passion for some people, it’s an obsession, an addiction that requires daily attention. I don’t know what I would do if I couldn’t have access to a kitchen. It doesn’t have to be a glittering showpiece like Claudia’s either. I adore the tiny kitchenette in my flat in London.’
She hesitated, wondering if she should mention Zach’s ex, but he’d mentioned Luke, hadn’t he?
‘What about Chloe? Did she like to cook?’
